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Chapter 20

Joseph in Egypt

Meanwhile, Joseph with his captors was on the way to
Egypt. As the caravan journeyed southward toward the
borders of Canaan, the boy could discern in the distance the hills
among which lay his father’s tents. Bitterly he wept at thought
of that loving father in his loneliness and affliction. Again the
scene at Dothan came up before him. He saw his angry brothers
and felt their fierce glances bent upon him. The stinging, insulting
words that had met his agonized entreaties were ringing in
his ears. With a trembling heart he looked forward to the future.
What a change in situation—from the tenderly cherished son to
the despised and helpless slave! Alone and friendless, what would
be his lot in the strange land to which he was going? For a time
Joseph gave himself up to uncontrolled grief and terror.
But, in the providence of God, even this experience was to be
a blessing to him. He had learned in a few hours that which years
might not otherwise have taught him. His father, strong and tender
as his love had been, had done him wrong by his partiality
and indulgence. This unwise preference had angered his brothers
and provoked them to the cruel deed that had separated him
from his home. Its effects were manifest also in his own character.
Faults had been encouraged that were now to be corrected.
He was becoming self-sufficient and exacting. Accustomed to the
tenderness of his father’s care, he felt that he was unprepared to
cope with the difficulties before him, in the bitter, uncared-for
life of a stranger and a slave.
Then his thoughts turned to his father’s God. In his childhood
he had been taught to love and fear Him. Often in his father’s
tent he had listened to the story of the vision that Jacob saw as
he fled from his home an exile and a fugitive. He had been told
of the Lord’s promises to Jacob, and how they had been fulfilled—how,
in the hour of need, the angels of God had come

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to instruct, comfort, and protect him. And he had learned of the
love of God in providing for men a Redeemer. Now all these
precious lessons came vividly before him. Joseph believed that the
God of his fathers would be his God. He then and there gave
himself fully to the Lord, and he prayed that the Keeper of Israel
would be with him in the land of his exile.
His soul thrilled with the high resolve to prove himself true
to God—under all circumstances to act as became a subject of
the King of heaven. He would serve the Lord with undivided
heart; he would meet the trials of his lot with fortitude and
perform every duty with fidelity. One day’s experience had been the
turning point in Joseph’s life. Its terrible calamity had transformed
him from a petted child to a man, thoughtful, courageous,
and self-possessed.
Arriving in Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, captain of the
king’s guard, in whose service he remained for ten years. He was
here exposed to temptations of no ordinary character. He was in
the midst of idolatry. The worship of false gods was surrounded
by all the pomp of royalty, supported by the wealth and culture
of the most highly civilized nation then in existence. Yet Joseph
preserved his simplicity and his fidelity to God. The sights and
sounds of vice were all about him, but he was as one who saw
and heard not. His thoughts were not permitted to linger upon
forbidden subjects. The desire to gain the favor of the Egyptians
could not cause him to conceal his principles. Had he attempted
to do this, he would have been overcome by temptation; but he
was not ashamed of the religion of his fathers, and he made no
effort to hide the fact that he was a worshiper of Jehovah.
“And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous
man. . . . And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and
that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.”
Potiphar’s confidence in Joseph increased daily, and he finally
promoted him to be his steward, with full control over all his
possessions. “And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and
he knew not aught he had, save the bread which he did eat.”
The marked prosperity which attended everything placed under
Joseph’s care was not the result of a direct miracle; but his
industry, care, and energy were crowned with the divine blessing.
Joseph attributed his success to the favor of God, and even
his idolatrous master accepted this as the secret of his unparalleled

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prosperity. Without steadfast, well-directed effort, however,
success could never have been attained. God was glorified by the
faithfulness of His servant. It was His purpose that in purity and
uprightness the believer in God should appear in marked contrast
to the worshipers of idols—that thus the light of heavenly grace
might shine forth amid the darkness of heathenism.
Joseph’s gentleness and fidelity won the heart of the chief
captain, who came to regard him as a son rather than a slave. The
youth was brought in contact with men of rank and learning,
and he acquired a knowledge of science, of languages, and of
affairs—an education needful to the future prime minister of
Egypt.
But Joseph’s faith and integrity were to be tested by fiery
trials. His master’s wife endeavored to entice the young man to
transgress the law of God. Heretofore he had remained untainted
by the corruption teeming in that heathen land; but this
temptation, so sudden, so strong, so seductive—how should it be
met? Joseph knew well what would be the consequence of resistance.
On the one hand were concealment, favor, and rewards;
on the other, disgrace, imprisonment, perhaps death. His whole
future life depended upon the decision of the moment. Would
principle triumph? Would Joseph still be true to God? With
inexpressible anxiety, angels looked upon the scene.
Joseph’s answer reveals the power of religious principle. He
would not betray the confidence of his master on earth, and,
whatever the consequences, he would be true to his Master in
heaven. Under the inspecting eye of God and holy angels many
take liberties of which they would not be guilty in the presence
of their fellow men, but Joseph’s first thought was of God. “How
can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” he said.
If we were to cherish an habitual impression that God sees
and hears all that we do and say and keeps a faithful record of
our words and actions, and that we must meet it all, we would
fear to sin. Let the young ever remember that wherever they are,
and whatever they do, they are in the presence of God. No part
of our conduct escapes observation. We cannot hide our ways
from the Most High. Human laws, though sometimes severe, are
often transgressed without detection, and hence with impunity.
But not so with the law of God. The deepest midnight is no
cover for the guilty one. He may think himself alone, but to

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every deed there is an unseen witness. The very motives of his
heart are open to divine inspection. Every act, every word, every
thought, is as distinctly marked as though there were only one
person in the whole world, and the attention of heaven were
centered upon him.
Joseph suffered for his integrity, for his tempter revenged
herself by accusing him of a foul crime, and causing him to be
thrust into prison. Had Potiphar believed his wife’s charge
against Joseph, the young Hebrew would have lost his life; but
the modesty and uprightness that had uniformly characterized
his conduct were proof of his innocence; and yet, to save the
reputation of his master’s house, he was abandoned to disgrace and
bondage.
At the first Joseph was treated with great severity by his
jailers. The psalmist says, “His feet they hurt with fetters; he was
laid in chains of iron: until the time that his word came to pass;
the word of the Lord tried him.” Psalm 105:18, 19, R.V. But
Joseph’s real character shines out, even in the darkness of the
dungeon. He held fast his faith and patience; his years of faithful
service had been most cruelly repaid, yet this did not render him
morose or distrustful. He had the peace that comes from conscious
innocence, and he trusted his case with God. He did not
brood upon his own wrongs, but forgot his sorrow in trying to
lighten the sorrows of others. He found a work to do, even in the
prison. God was preparing him in the school of affliction for
greater usefulness, and he did not refuse the needful discipline.
In the prison, witnessing the results of oppression and tyranny
and the effects of crime, he learned lessons of justice, sympathy,
and mercy, that prepared him to exercise power with wisdom and
compassion.
Joseph gradually gained the confidence of the keeper of the
prison, and was finally entrusted with the charge of all the prisoners.
It was the part he acted in the prison—the integrity of his
daily life and his sympathy for those who were in trouble and
distress—that opened the way for his future prosperity and honor.
Every ray of light that we shed upon others is reflected upon
ourselves. Every kind and sympathizing word spoken to the
sorrowful, every act to relieve the oppressed, and every gift to
the needy, if prompted by a right motive, will result in blessings
to the giver.

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The chief baker and chief butler of the king had been cast
into prison for some offense, and they came under Joseph’s charge.
One morning, observing that they appeared very sad, he kindly
inquired the cause and was told that each had had a remarkable
dream, of which they were anxious to learn the significance. “Do
not interpretations belong to God?” said Joseph, “tell me them,
I pray you.” As each related his dream, Joseph made known
its import: In three days the butler was to be reinstated in his
position, and give the cup into Pharaoh’s hand as before, but the
chief baker would be put to death by the king’s command. In
both cases the event occurred as foretold.
The king’s cupbearer had professed the deepest gratitude to
Joseph, both for the cheering interpretation of his dream and for
many acts of kind attention; and in return the latter, referring in
a most touching manner to his own unjust captivity, entreated
that his case be brought before the king. “Think on me,” he
said, “when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray
thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring
me out of this house: for indeed I was stolen away out of the land
of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they
should put me into the dungeon.” The chief butler saw the
dream fulfilled in every particular; but when restored to royal
favor, he thought no more of his benefactor. For two years longer
Joseph remained a prisoner. The hope that had been kindled in
his heart gradually died out, and to all other trials was added the
bitter sting of ingratitude.
But a divine hand was about to open the prison gates. The
king of Egypt had in one night two dreams, apparently pointing
to the same event and seeming to foreshadow some great calamity.
He could not determine their significance, yet they continued
to trouble his mind. The magicians and wise men of his realm
could give no interpretation. The king’s perplexity and distress
increased, and terror spread throughout his palace. The general
agitation recalled to the chief butler’s mind the circumstances of
his own dream; with it came the memory of Joseph, and a pang
of remorse for his forgetfulness and ingratitude. He at once
informed the king how his own dream and that of the chief baker
had been interpreted by a Hebrew captive, and how the predictions
had been fulfilled.

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It was humiliating to Pharaoh to turn away from the magicians
and wise men of his kingdom to consult an alien and a slave, but
he was ready to accept the lowliest service if his troubled mind
might find relief. Joseph was immediately sent for; he put off
his prison attire, and shaved himself, for his hair had grown long
during the period of his disgrace and confinement. He was then
conducted to the presence of the king.
“And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and
there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee,
that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph
answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh
an answer of peace.” Joseph’s reply to the king reveals his
humility and his faith in God. He modestly disclaims the honor
of possessing in himself superior wisdom. “It is not in me.” God
alone can explain these mysteries.
Pharaoh then proceeded to relate his dreams: “Behold, I stood
upon the bank of the river: and, behold, there came up out of
the river seven kine, fat-fleshed and well-favored; and they fed
in a meadow: and, behold, seven other kine came up after them,
poor and very ill-favored and lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in
all the land of Egypt for badness: and the lean and the ill-favored
kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: and when they had eaten
them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but
they were still ill-favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke. And I
saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk,
full and good: and, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted
with the east wind, sprung up after them: and the thin ears
devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians;
but there was none that could declare it to me.”
“The dream of Pharaoh is one,” said Joseph. “God hath
showed Pharaoh what He is about to do.” There were to be
seven years of great plenty. Field and garden would yield more
abundantly than ever before. And this period was to be followed
by seven years of famine. “And the plenty shall not be known in
the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very
grievous.” The repetition of the dream was evidence both of the
certainty and nearness of the fulfillment. “Now therefore,” he
continued, “let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set
him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him
appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the

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land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them gather
all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under
the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. And
that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of
famine.”
The interpretation was so reasonable and consistent, and the
policy which it recommended was so sound and shrewd, that its
correctness could not be doubted. But who was to be entrusted
with the execution of the plan? Upon the wisdom of this choice
depended the nation’s preservation. The king was troubled. For
some time the matter of the appointment was under consideration.
Through the chief butler the monarch had learned of the
wisdom and prudence displayed by Joseph in the management of
the prison; it was evident that he possessed administrative ability
in a pre-eminent degree. The cupbearer, now filled with
self-reproach, endeavored to atone for his former ingratitude, by the
warmest praise of his benefactor; and further inquiry by the
king proved the correctness of his report. In all the realm Joseph
was the only man gifted with wisdom to point out the danger
that threatened the kingdom and the preparation necessary to
meet it; and the king was convinced that he was the one best
qualified to execute the plans which he had proposed. It was
evident that a divine power was with him, and that there were
none among the king’s officers of state so well qualified to
conduct the affairs of the nation at this crisis. The fact that he was a
Hebrew and a slave was of little moment when weighed against
his evident wisdom and sound judgment. “Can we find such a
one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” said the king
to his counselors.
The appointment was decided upon, and to Joseph the astonishing
announcement was made, “Forasmuch as God hath showed
thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: thou
shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all
my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than
thou.” The king proceeded to invest Joseph with the insignia of
his high office. “And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand,
and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of
fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; and he made him
to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before
him, Bow the knee.”

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“He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his
substance: to bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators
wisdom.” Psalm 105:21, 22. From the dungeon Joseph was
exalted to be ruler over all the land of Egypt. It was a position of
high honor, yet it was beset with difficulty and peril. One cannot
stand upon a lofty height without danger. As the tempest leaves
unharmed the lowly flower of the valley, while it uproots the
stately tree upon the mountaintop, so those who have maintained
their integrity in humble life may be dragged down to the pit
by the temptations that assail worldly success and honor. But
Joseph’s character bore the test alike of adversity and prosperity.
The same fidelity to God was manifest when he stood in the
palace of the Pharaohs as when in a prisoner’s cell. He was still a
stranger in a heathen land, separated from his kindred, the
worshipers of God; but he fully believed that the divine hand had
directed his steps, and in constant reliance upon God he faithfully
discharged the duties of his position. Through Joseph the
attention of the king and great men of Egypt was directed to the
true God; and though they adhered to their idolatry, they learned
to respect the principles revealed in the life and character of the
worshiper of Jehovah.
How was Joseph enabled to make such a record of firmness
of character, uprightness, and wisdom?—In his early years he
had consulted duty rather than inclination; and the integrity,
the simple trust, the noble nature, of the youth bore fruit in the
deeds of the man. A pure and simple life had favored the vigorous
development of both physical and intellectual powers. Communion
with God through His works and the contemplation of
the grand truths entrusted to the inheritors of faith had elevated
and ennobled his spiritual nature, broadening and strengthening
the mind as no other study could do. Faithful attention to duty
in every station, from the lowliest to the most exalted, had been
training every power for its highest service. He who lives in
accordance with the Creator’s will is securing to himself the truest
and noblest development of character. “The fear of the Lord,
that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” Job 28:28.
There are few who realize the influence of the little things of
life upon the development of character. Nothing with which we
have to do is really small. The varied circumstances that we meet

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day by day are designed to test our faithfulness and to qualify us
for greater trusts. By adherence to principle in the transactions
of ordinary life, the mind becomes accustomed to hold the claims
of duty above those of pleasure and inclination. Minds thus
disciplined are not wavering between right and wrong, like the reed
trembling in the wind; they are loyal to duty because they have
trained themselves to habits of fidelity and truth. By faithfulness
in that which is least they acquire strength to be faithful in
greater matters.
An upright character is of greater worth than the gold of Ophir.
Without it none can rise to an honorable eminence. But character
is not inherited. It cannot be bought. Moral excellence and fine
mental qualities are not the result of accident. The most precious
gifts are of no value unless they are improved. The formation of
a noble character is the work of a lifetime and must be the result
of diligent and persevering effort. God gives opportunities; success
depends upon the use made of them.